A sceptical, beautifully written history of Italy as the sum of its many independent histories. The chapters on the medieval maritime republics — Pisa alongside Venice, Genoa, and Amalfi — are the best short account in English of how a small Tuscan port came to dominate Mediterranean trade in the 11th and 12th centuries and to build the Campo dei Miracoli with the proceeds. A useful corrective to the Tuscany-equals-Florence story.
The Pursuit of Italy
| Author | David Gilmour |
|---|---|
| ISBN | 978-0141043418 |